FRA explains maize destruction in Mkushi
By Onishias Maamba
Mon 13 Jan. 2014, 14:01 CAT
FRA executive director Chola Kafwabulula says moisture destroyed the over 2,000 by 50 kilogramme bags of maize in Mkushi.
Kafwabulula (right) in an interview yesterday said the destroyed maize was from the 2011/2012 grain-marketing season.
"The maize was well secured on our slabs, but it's the moisture which accumulated and got in touch with the maize," Kafwabulula explained.
"The 2,000 plus 50 kilogramme bags of maize destroyed in Mkushi are wnot from the 2012/2013 marketing season."
Kafwabulula said FRA had 'safely secured' 636,000 metric tonnes of maize in its strategic reserve.
"Out of that, 625,000 metric tonnes is in sheds while 11,000 metric tonnes is on our slabs and we are currently transporting it to our sheds," Kafwabulula said.
"This is a great achievement for us as FRA in our history, where we have managed to secure 98 per cent of grain in our sheds."
FRA site manager for Mkushi deport revealed that over 2,000 by 50 kilogramme bags of maize had been destroyed at the FRA depot.
Labels: CHOLA KAFWABULULA, FRA, MAIZE
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Petauke farmers seek early payment from FRA
By Gift Chanda in Petauke
Sun 04 Aug. 2013, 14:00 CAT
FARMERS in Petauke have called for early payment for the maize supplied to the Food Reserve Agency this year. The farmers said they did not expect a repeat of last year's situation where they had to unjustly wait for more than five months to be paid their dues.
But FRA executive director, Chola Kafwabulula assured farmers countrywide that they would be paid within 10 days upon supplying the maize.
"Our biggest concern is on the payment period. We have no problem with the way the marketing season has been handled so far. I think it is going on well but we want assurance that we will be paid early this time around," Aliani Daka said on behalf of the farmers found selling maize to FRA at Musanzala satellite depot outside Petauke boma.
"We want to be paid on time so that we can also plan properly for the coming farming season. We have fertiliser and seeds to buy but we cannot do it without the money. "
Another farmer, Pamela Sakala, highlighted some of the challenges some farmers usually go through as a result of delayed payments.
"We cannot take our children to school because we don't get our money," she said.
But Kafwabulula assured the farmers that FRA would operate differently from the way it operated last year regarding the crop marketing exercise.
"In this year's programme, we will be paying the farmers within 10 days of delivery of the crop," he said.
"In the old system, we were paying much later than the 10 days but in this particular system, we should be able to pay within 10 days and it will be through the bank."
He said the government had already released part of the money for payments to farmers.
"As at yesterday Wednesday we had bought a total of 744,000 fifty kg bags of maize and in terms of the money to be paid that is in the region of K35 million and that money is in the banks right now," said Kafwabulula.
FRA, which is buying a 50kg bag of maize at K65, plans to purchase 500,000 metric tonnes for strategic reserve.
Labels: CHOLA KAFWABULULA, EASTERN PROVINCE, FRA, PETAUKE
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FRA owes farmers K979bn
By Gift Chanda
Tue 23 Oct. 2012, 16:10 CAT
THE Food Reserve Agency owes farmers K979 billion for the maize they supplied to the agency during the ongoing marketing season, a senior official said yesterday.
Chola Kafwabulula, FRA acting managing director, disclosed that the agency as at October 12 had bought 968,242 metric tonnes of maize valued at over K1.2 trillion.
He said the 968,242 metric tonnes, a bulk of which was bought from Southern and Eastern provinces, represents 97 per cent of the 1 million metric tonnes target to be purchased by the end of this month.
"FRA has since paid out over K279.5 billion on maize purchases while payments have continued to be made to farmers country-wide in order to offset the K979 billion outstanding balance," Kafwabulula said in an emailed statement.
He added that following reports of fraudulent activities, the agency had stepped up security measures to ensure that payments were only made to genuine farmers who supplied the maize.
Kafwabulula said all payments were being adequately screened with the help of experts in white collar financial crimes.
"The agency will continue to pay until all farmers receive their money for the maize supplied," he added.
"The agency hopes to pay all farmers by the first week of November, just after the close of the purchasing exercise on 31st October, 2012."
The FRA had targeted to buy one million tonnes of maize from small-holder farmers this year compared to the 1.3 million tonnes it bought last year.
Labels: CHOLA KAFWABULULA, DOMESTIC DEBT, FRA
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